A lot of grey nomads don’t particularly enjoy a trip to the composting toilets found in many camping areas … and the horror stories surrounding an allegedly malfunctioning loo at Queensland’s Inskip Point won’t particularly help matters.
Some campers claim says the smells and flies at the toilet have caused a localised stomach bug epidemic which has affected many people staying on the Pelican Bay side of the MV Sarawak camping area.
Toowoomba mother Katie Unipan told the Gympie Times the sickness situation at the site north of Noosa Heads was serious.
“We were camping near Pelican Bay, eight adults and three children, and all of us have had it,” she said. “A couple nearby were laid up for two days. My dad didn’t move for two days.”
A spokesperson said the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) said the toilet complaints were being investigated but stressed it did not believe there were any health risks associated with the facilities.
“The flies referred to are vinegar flies … they are naturally occurring and unfortunately are more prevalent in the onset of warmer weather, but they do have a short life cycle,” the spokesperson said. “QPWS rangers are spraying the toilets with insecticide and this will be followed with regular checks and further spraying as necessary.”
The toilets use a sealed vault system which gets pumped out periodically.
“Sometimes these closed systems can be prone to emitting odours under certain environmental conditions,” the spokesperson said
The toilets in question have apparently been recently pumped out and ventilation fans had been checked and were working.
* Are you ‘wary’ of composting toilets? Have you had a less than pleasant experience at such facilities? Comment below.
Surely its just a matter of personal hygiene, like washing your hands with soap after using the toilet?
We have come across both good and bad composting loos. I think the main problem is people who dont understand how they work and add chemicals or worse, use them like a dump point and empty their van toilet cassettes into them. We all need to follow the instructions.
Wife and I and a couple of friends spent a couple of days in a camp just north of Sarawak two days ago. Wife and I have been crook for both days since getting home, though our friends are o.k., and we both used our own toilets AND we washed our hands too. Funny, I still remember the dunny man running around the streets and all he had to protect him from a full can was a piece of leather or canvas over his shoulder.
I wouldn’t use the Long Drops if I was desperate . Yuk.
But you have to use something. What yhen?
Camped at Camila Beach (Q83) a month or two ago, by far the worst I have encountered. My thoughts were that you are at great risk and taking your health care to a whole new level. Both the toilets and the dump point were beyond repulsive. A beautiful place but I will not be returning.
5 years on, now being 10 November 2020 and still the same problem with heaps of campers violently vomiting and having bouts of diarrhoea for days after staying at MV Sarawak camping ground. The toilets are still as discusting as ever, vinegar flys still being blamed and QPWS still instisting they do not have a problem. Just go on Facebook and search MV Sarawak Inskip to see how many people have been sick and talking about the problem.
We just packed up and left M.V Natone 3 days early because 7 out of or group of 13 came down with Gastro. We spoke to the cleaners and rangers, both who where aware that the toilets were infected with Gastro and a major fly outbreak. We were being super vigilant to wash our hands with soap and water but there was nothing that could be done about flys landing on our food and I’m certain that’s how it was transferred. I can believe they have been allowing the problem to continue for over 5 years!! I love the rainbow beach area but next time I come I’ll stick to the beach camping at double island and avoid the camp grounds altogether.
Dec 30. 2020. Major gastro outbreak mv beagle. Dec 19th – now Four groups badly affected. Some gone home early. We r still here and it’s still going around. Apparently according to locals it’s always an issue as they need to sort out the composting system Flies carry it. Need to do what other national parks do. But authorities don’t listen to the locals so has been an ongoing issue for years. Come to inskip. Guaranteed to get gastro.